Mubarak's New Deputy Under Fire for Assisting CIA

Mubarak's first-ever deputy chided over cooperation with a CIA program that involved the torture of terror suspects.

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Maayana Miskin, 06/02/11 17:53 | updated: 17:58

Omar Suleiman

Israel news photo: Wikimedia Commons

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak recently appointed his first-ever deputy, Intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, and Suleiman is now coming under fire for cooperating the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) . According to AFP, Suleiman has been linked to a program thought up by the CIA that saw terror suspects questioned using torture.

Under the CIA's “extraordinary rendition” program, suspects were taken to countries other than the United States, where they could be interrogated without adherence to U.S. laws on torture. Suleiman has allegedly allowed the U.S. to send terror suspects to Egypt since 1995.

He has also targeted Egypt's domestic terrorists.

"Human rights" groups have criticized both the U.S. and Egypt for the “extraordinary rendition” agreement. They argue that suspects are tortured in Egypt, using methods that would violate U.S. law.

According to one allegation, detainee Ibn Sheikh al-Libi was locked in a cage and beaten, and pressured into confirming a suspected connection between international terrorist group Al-Qaeda and then-Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Al-Libi later said he gave false testimony due to the pressure.

Suleiman has been involved in negotiations between Israel and Hamas for the release of kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. He has also taken a role in talks between Hamas and Fatah.